As dust settles, Pragyan preps to explore Moon

India took a walk on the moon, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) announced on Thursday, as the Pragyan rover, which emerged from the belly of the Vikram lander on Wednesday night, was set to roll across the lunar surface hours after the latter created history by becoming the first craft to land on the moon’s south pole, propelling India into the top echelons of space powers.

- Soumya Pillai

Isro chief S Somanath said scientists were about to start the next phase of the moon mission, which, over the course of the next fortnight, could revolutionise global understanding of the seismology, soil profile, mineral composition and atmosphere of the unchartered southern pole of the moon, and even lay the foundation of future lunar missions.

“Made in India, made for the Moon! The Chandrayaan-3 rover ramped down from the lander and India took a walk on the moon!” India’s space agency posted on X.

Even as they pored over computers to calibrate experiments, scientists at the Isro control room revelled in the adulation that poured in from around the globe over Chandrayaan-3’s perfect touchdown at 6.03pm on Wednesday.

The soft landing completed an extraordinary arc of scientific perseverance made possible by the automated choreography of 12 big and small rocket engines executed to clinical precision. It also mended the nation’s heartbreak at the crash of the mooncraft’s previous iteration in 2019.

The tests are expected to open new vistas for the country’s frugal space programme in the lucrative market of space exploration and commerce because they will confirm the presence of water at the lunar sough pole. If proven, this breakthrough can be crucial for drinking, breathing and rocket fuel resources to advance human space exploration deeper into the solar system.

“The south polar region has the advantage of being less illuminated by the sun, and as a result of that there is a potential of having better scientific content, including retention of water below the sub-surface,” Somanath said.